Den Ei Rai Bu/Pitch-Black Heart
The Pitch-black Heart (also called 邪黒城 or Yokoshima kuroshiro) is a location in Kishin Douji Zenki 2 - Den Ei Rai Bu. It is the fifth and final Anime Sequence Battle stage featured ingame. While the stage's original name direct translates as evil black castle, it is obviously a metaphor, as the action takes place in a location very similar to the insides of Karuma's tree form, that are seen in Episode 25 of the anime. This becomes even more obvious when the player reaches the lower areas of the corresponding jump-and-run stage and the mini-boss, as the area's structure turns into a mixture of magical devices, organic structures, Hyouinomi and barriers. Once the player has defeated the Goliath Hyouinomi mini-boss, they will enter the Anime Sequence Stage of the Pitch-black Heart, which features a red, wooden floor, strangely organic or tree-like looking columns and a black background remniscent of Karuma's pitch-black, pulsating insides as seen in the aforementioned anime episode. Battles in this Location Hyouinomi Battle This is the first and only Anime Sequence Battle against a Hyouinomi ingame. Unlike other Anime Sequence Battle characters, it doesn't talk and has no associated gender. In the intro for this battle, Chiaki encounters this creature and notices, that the Goliath Hyouinomi, that Chibi Zenki just fought and defeated wasn't the real body, but just a hide to protect Hyouinomi. Just like in the stages before this one, Chiaki transforms Chibi Zenki into his true form via the Vajura-On-Ark spell in the well known cutscene of the same name. Demon God Zenki now faces Hyouinomi in an Anime Sequence Battle. The background music in this battle is Hyouinomi's battle theme. Second Karuma Battle This encounter happens shortly after the Hyouinomi battle. Once Hyouinomi is defeated, Karuma will appear and Zenki will have to fight her once again. This time, though, Karuma seems rather shocked to see him. This is once again remniscent of the anime, where Karuma is also afraid of Zenki once he gains the Diamond Axe. In the second Karuma Battle, Karuma now sports a sky-blue coloration and has more health than in the previous fight. Otherwise, she uses exactly the same moves as in the previous encounter. The background music in this battle is Karuma's battle theme. Once Karuma is defeated, the game will go straight to the ending cutscene where Zenki kills her by using Rudra. Afterwards, the game goes to the credits. Obviously, this also means, that this Anime Sequence Battle stage isn't revisited afterwards. Note, that unlike the earlier battle in the Heian Capital, where losing to Gagara simply caused the player to lose a life and starting over from Gagara's battle intro, losing to Karuma's second form in Pitch-Black Heart has more severe consequences. If the player is defeated by Karuma, they are forced to redo the Hyouinomi Anime Sequence Battle, so they can then rematch Karuma's second form. Multiplayer Mode When the player visits Den Ei Rai Bu's hidden multiplayer mode, the Pitch-black Heart stage will be shown via a thumbnail image in the stage select. It is the first stage from the right. Choosing the Pitch-black Heart stage for battle will have the first player and an AI foe or the first player and the second player start their battle in this stage. The background music will be Hyouinomi's battle theme, regardless which characters are chosen. Gallery Stage Background, Thumbnail and Stage Select ASB DERB 5 Yokoshima Kuroshiro fullscreen.png|The complete background of this stage. ASB DERB 5 Yokoshima Kuroshiro thumb.png|The thumbnail as seen in the hidden multiplayer mode's stage select Multiplayer vs den ei rei bu 2.png|The hidden multiplayer mode's stage select. Chiaki: "Where should the battle take place?" Anime Sequence Battles Chiaki Hyouinomi.png|Chiaki encounters Hyouinomi Zenki VS Karuma 2 battle start.png|Demon God Zenki VS Karuma Music For a full list of all ingame audio, please visit the corresponding ingame audio page. Category:ASB Stages DERB